Mon, 13 Aug 2018 23:54:04 -0400WeeblyTue, 06 Mar 2018 23:15:36 GMThttp://www.jayeatz.com/blog/so-ma-dukes-and-i-checked-out-the-church-key-bistro-pub-in-london-ontario It seems every time I get tickets to a concert Ma Dukes ends up joining me. This time it was Chicago and Earth, Wind and Fire and the pre-concert dinner was at The Church Key Bistro Pub in downtown London, Ontario.

The Church Key Pub is located on 476 Richmond St. across from the Grand Theatre and only a few blocks away from Bud Gardens making it the ideal spot to dine before an event. It is a welcoming and warm space and gets busy when events are happening downtown but lucky enough we were able to get a table for two.

We were seated and we began to decide what we should order. I gave the beer menu a once over and could not believe how reasonably priced the Church Key's beers are. A 10 oz draft started at $3.75 (and have only gone up to $4.10 after the minimum wage increase), keep this in mind when considering a place downtown to go to for drinks. We ordered drinks and appetizers, Ma Dukes went with the soup and I opted for the mussels steamed with leeks and lager beer. A massive loaf of bread with house blended butter also made its way to our table.

The mussels were excellent, steamed to perfection in beer just like the ones I make at home. They also offer a baked version in a white wine cream sauce that I will have to return and try. Ma Dukes liked her soup and the loaf of bread and butter was so good we asked for another loaf. Now for the main course I decided on the Church Key burger with a Caesar side salad and Ma Dukes went with the fish and chips.

Ma Dukes is British and a bit of a fish and chips aficionado and she gave her order the two thumbs up. I have been know to eat a few burgers myself and really enjoyed the Church Key burger. The patty was made in house and was topped with caramelized onions and Stilton cheese which added some bite to the burger. The Caesar salad was a great choice after eating all the bread from the appetizer round as well as the bun from the burger. The service was excellent just like the food. Surprisingly the prices are also very reasonable too. Some of the neighbouring dinning establishments in the area are known for their expensive prices and through my assumptions I placed the Church Key into the same category. Totally not the case, the fish & chips are only $17.50 and the burger was only $18.50. A visit to a chain restaurant these days will run you a similar bill (more if you are ordering beer). Jay Eatz definitely recommends the Church Key Bistro Pub downtown London. Elevated pub fare at reasonable prices, cheap beer and a great chance to support a local downtown business by shopping local.

Years of watching Hell's Kitchen had finally influenced me to give Gordon Ramsay's Beef Wellington a try. After a little researching online I came across this recipe from an apparent insider who worked on the set of Hell's Kitchen and reviled how this infamous dish is made (www.popsugar.com/food/Gordon-Ramsay-Beef-Wellington-Recipe-486092). What better time to give this recipe a go than on Valentines Day right? Why not pair it with Lobster Risotto and Beef Carpaccio? What a great Valentines Day kitchen challenge sure to leave your significant other impressed. Here is what you will need to make the Beef Wellington portion of this meal happen.

Ingredients:Mushroom Duxelles:

1 lb cremini mushrooms, finely chipped

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

Crepe:

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 eggs

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp minced chives

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup water

butter, for fry pan

Beef Wellington:

2 lbs beef tenderloin

Dijoin mustard

1 box of frozen puff pastry, thawed

1/2 lb prosciutto ham

1 egg

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Directions:Chop the mushrooms and add them to a food processor (or blender if you don't have a food processor like me) and blend until it is of a paste like consistency.

In a skillet heat olive oil on a medium setting. Spread the mushroom paste over the frying pan and season with salt and pepper. Heat until the liquid has evaporated from the mushrooms and has a spreadable consistency like the third photo below.

Let the mushroom duxelles cool. Now is the perfect time to sear the beef tenderloin. Heat olive oil to a medium high in a large skillet. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Sear all sides of the beef tenderloin in the skillet. Make sure to only sear the outer edges of the beef leaving the inside raw. Remove the beef and set aside to cool.

While the beef and mushroom duxelles are cooling prepare the crepe. In a mixing bowl combine the flour, eggs, sugar, salt, chives and mix well. Whisk in the milk, water and 1 tbsp of melted butter until you end up with a pancake like batter. Melt butter in a large frying pan on a medium setting, add half of the crepe mixture to the pan. Cook for about a minute and then flip the crepe, it should have a light golden brown colour to it, cook the other side for about 1 more minute. Add more butter to the frying pan if needed and make a second crepe with the rest of the batter.

Coat the cooled seared beef tenderloin with the dijon mustard. Slice the tenderloin into two equal pieces.

To roll the Beef Wellington lay out a large piece of plastic wrap on a clean flat surface. Place the crepe on the plastic wrap. Spread the mushroom duxelles evenly on the crepe. Place the prosciutto on top of the mushroom duxelles and place one half of the mustard coated beef tenderloin in the center of the crepe (see photos below).

Wrap the crepe around the beef tenderloin and trim of any excess from the sides. Use the plastic wrap to tightly roll the beef tenderloin. On another clean surface place a sheet of plastic wrap and roll out the puff pastry until it is about 1/4" thick and divide in two. Remember to unwrap the crepe rolled beef tenderloin from the plastic wrap and place it in the middle of the puff pastry. Roll the puff pastry around the beef tenderloin crepe covering all sides. Remove any excess pastry from the ends and tightly wrap the pastry covered tenderloin with the plastic wrap. Repeat this process for the second crepe wrapped tenderloin and place both pieces in the fridge for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the Beef Wellingtons from the fridge, remove the plastic wrap and place seem side down on the baking sheet. Score the pasty with a butter knife in a criss cross pattern and brush the pastry with an egg wash.

Lightly season with salt and bake for 25 to 30 minutes (or slightly longer if you like your beef a little more well done). Remove from oven and let stand for at least 10 minutes. Slice the Beef Wellingtons into medallions, plate and serve.

If you want a Valentines Day kitchen challenge or if you are just looking for a delicious elevated meal, give this Beef Wellington recipe a try. It will surely leave your dinner guest or guest amazed.

]]>Tue, 12 Dec 2017 21:22:21 GMThttp://www.jayeatz.com/blog/so-there-is-a-hotel-with-a-view-in-carriacou A trip to Grenada wouldn't be complete without a visit to Carriacou. This was my second time on the Island and having learned a lesson from my first visit 5 hours really isn't enough time to truly experience the Island (Check out Jay Eatz's first visit to Carriacou here: www.jayeatz.com/blog/so-youre-hungry-in-carriacou). I booked a Tobago Cays excursion with Isle of Reefs Tours and although possible during a day trip to Carriacou some of the extras we got to do would have been dropped off the itinerary. In order to maximize our time in Carriacou and squeeze in the excursion and some time at Paradise Beach the following day we knew an overnight stay was in order. After some searching online for a hotel in Carriacou, the Mermaid Hotel really seemed to fit our needs.

The Mermaid Hotel located in Hillsborough, the largest town in Carriacou. Everything you could possible need is located within a 5 minute walk. Grocery store, pharmacy, bars and restaurants, even better yet the Mermaid Hotel is also home to the Callaloo Restaurant & Bar. Another bonus is if you are arriving by ferry you can walk to the hotel (no taxi needed).

The Osprey Ferry pictured from The Mermaid Hotel

An even better way to arrive is by speed boat like we did, dropped right off beach front. The only downfall is suitcase wheels struggle in the sand.

We were greeted and promptly checked in. We decided to go with the standard room, queen bed which included breakfast for $107 USD. The room was very spacious, equipped with AC and a TV, a mini fridge, a comfy bed and an amazing glass shower with rain head and jets. Although we were not in an ocean view room the sounds of the sea drifted us off to sleep.

The Mermaid Hotel also has a breathtaking beach just steps from the rooms. As they say location, location, location.

The Mermaid Hotel is also perfectly situated to capture a Carriacou sunset.

Here are a few more views from the Mermaid hotel.

When we checked out of our room we had a few hours until the ferry departed for Grenada so we went to Paradise Beach. We were able to keep our luggage in the manager's office while we were at the beach and picked it up before heading to the ferry. Our stay at the Mermaid in was excellent. Thinking back on this trip 36 hours is still not enough time to experience Carriacou. Next time we visit Grenada we will allocate more time in the trip to spend on Carriacou and will definitely be staying at the Mermaid Hotel.

]]>Thu, 23 Nov 2017 21:17:51 GMThttp://www.jayeatz.com/blog/london-home-economics-holiday-cooking-class Jay Eatz was lucky to be invited to instruct this special edition of "Casserole Cooking Class" with the London Home Economics Association. First of all a big thank you to Maja and her team for putting together such a fun evening. It was great to network with LHEA and SHEA (Student Human Ecology Association) members. I always enjoy getting together with future PHEc's. We were also lucky to have Lisa Mardlin Vandewalle from Grain Farmers of Ontario come and present to us a little about what her organization is up to. I never new Ontario had 28,000 grain farmers, that's something to be #AgProud of.

As promised here is the recipes for the four casseroles that we (and when I say we I mean YOU) made.

Macaroni Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb elbow pasta

1 lb old cheddar cheese, grated

1 lb mozzarella cheese, grated

2 Tbsp butter

2 1/2 cups evaporated milk

2 eggs

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, minced

2 Tbsp ketchup

2 Tbsp yellow mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Grate both cheeses, blend and divide in two. In a large bowl mix evaporated milk, eggs, mustard, ketchup, garlic, onions, salt and pepper. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook pasta for about 8 minutes (or until al dente), drain, return to pot and add butter, stir. Once butter is melted stir in half of the cheese mix.

Then add the milk and egg mixture. Pour mixture into a greased 9x12 glass baking dish. Top this mixture with the remaining half of cheese mix. Pre-heat oven to 350 and bake for about 45 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Creamy Beef Noodle Bake

Ingredients:

1 lb extra lean ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

3 cups egg noodles

2 cups frozen vegetable mix

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup milk

1 cup water

1 1/2 cups marble cheese, grated (or more for cheese lovers)

Directions:Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Brown meat and onions in a skillet. Place noodles in a 13x9 baking dish and top with browned meat and onions. Top with frozen vegetables. In a mixing bowl, whisk soup, milk and water until blended. Pour mixture over beef and vegetables. Top with cheese, cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Let stand for a few minutes, serve and enjoy. Makes approximately 8 servings. Make ahead: Pre-cook noodles as per instructed on the package. Make the recipe the same and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Bake covered for 35 minutes and uncovered for an additional 10 minutes.

We opted out of the "or more for cheese lovers" option

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked chicken

3 cups frozen vegetable mix

2 cups marble cheese, grated

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 pack of crescent roll pastry

Directions:​Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine chicken, vegetables, cheese and soup into a 13x9 baking dish. Unroll pastry and place on top in one full sheet covering the mixture. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Allow a few minutes to cool, serve and enjoy.​Great holiday leftover tip: substitute chicken for leftover turkey and make easy turkey pot pie to eat up that leftover turkey.

Directions:Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the quinoa, broth, and seasoning in a saucepan. Bring to a slow boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer gently until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and sauté until golden. Add the broccoli and enough water to keep the skillet moist. Cover and steam until the broccoli is tender-crisp, about 5 to 7 minutes

In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked quinoa with the broccoli mixture, dried tomatoes or olives, and half of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper and stir well. Transfer the mixture to a greased 9x13 baking dish. Arrange the tomato slices over the top. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining cheese. Bake until the top is golden and crisp, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let the casserole stand for 5 minutes, serve and enjoy.

Here are some more pictures from the evening. Thank you Maja for staying up and doing some midnight baking and for transforming the food lab into a festive wonderland.

Please leave a comment and let everyone know what your favourite casserole of the evening was?

Instructions:Pre heat oven to 400f. Flatten chicken breast with a kitchen mallet or a heavy frying pan. Try to achieve an even flatness (I bought bone in chicken breast and deboned them myself, I ended up with the 2 fillets that I breaded and threw in the frying pan as well).

Beat egg in a bowl. In a separate bowl pour in enough Panko bread crumbs to cover the chicken. Mix in 4 Tbsp of parmesan cheese to the bread crumbs. Dip the chicken breast into the beaten egg ensuring all sides of the chicken have a good coating of the egg. Now dip the chicken into the bread crumb mixture also ensuring an even coating of the breading. In a large frying pan heat about 1/8 of an inch of oil on a medium setting. Once the oil is hot add the chicken breast to the frying pan.

Fry the chicken for about 5 minutes per side or until the side in the oil reaches a golden light brown colour. You will be able to see the chicken start to change colour from the top side and be able to judge when it is time to flip.

Fry the other side for about 5 minutes. Place enough pasta sauce to cover the bottom of a 3 quart casserole dish or a 9x12 glass dish. Place the fried chicken breast in the dish. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top of the chicken breast. Add 2 slices of mozzarella cheese to the top of each chicken breast (if using shredded mozzarella make sure the top surface of the chicken has a good covering of cheese). Pour some pasta sauce over the top of the chicken and to the sides (about enough sauce to almost come up to the top of the chicken breast). Sprinkle some more parmesan cheese on top of the chicken and sauce. Place the chicken into the pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes.

Chicken parm is often paired with pasta like spaghetti. Having my full of noodles I decided to accompany my chicken parm with some green beans and shaved zucchini lightly fried and simmered in pasta sauce. I made this during the last 15 minutes the chicken parm was in the oven. Another great serving alternative would be to place the chicken parm on a large Italian bun and make a homemade hot Italian sandwich.

Next time you are making pasta for supper (or have gone overboard on a batch of homemade Calabrese sauce) plan on having chicken parm the second night. In less than an hour from start to plate you will have a delicious meal that will be different enough to make you forget that you had the sauce the evening before.

I would have liked to title this post "So I found the best Roti in Barbados......." but that would be an impossible task to accomplish during a 7 day stay on the Island. So many restaurants offer this Caribbean delicacy in Barbados, you would almost need to live there for a year and eat Roti daily to really be able to make such a statement. If you are wondering what Roti is well here goes. Roti actually refers to a type of flat bread originating from India. This bread is unleavened meaning gas is not added to the dough to make it lighter which results in the Roti bread's dense consistency similar to pita bread. Traditionally Roti is torn apart and dipped into a curry to sop up the juices and scoop up the meat. In Trinidad during the 1940's the Roti wrap was born (which I will be talking about). The curry that the Roti bread would be dipped in was used as a filling inside a Roti wrap which transformed the Roti into a hand held street food which popularity soon spread throughout the Caribbean. The Roti wrap is simply called Roti. I will give you my opinion on three different establishments where I got to experience the Bajan take on Roti.

The award for the fastest Roti goes to Chefette Restaurants. Chefette is to Barbados as McDonalds is to America. Chefette has 15 locations across Barbados and is the one chain in that gives KFC a run for the money. They sell pizza, chicken, burgers and ice cream but they were founded on Roti.

I decided to go with the chicken and potato Roti, it cost $8.70 BBD or $4.35 USD. I placed my order and paid and bang, Roti done. I don't think the whole process took more than 1 minute.

The Chefette Roti was decent and of good value for the price. I will say you can taste some of the efficiencies in the final product but if you are looking for Roti in a hurry they win hands down and you can enjoy Chefette Island wide.

My second round of Roti hunting lead me to Chutney's Roti & Curry Cuisine. Chutney's is like an upscale version of Chefette. They have 4 locations in Barbados. You place your order and they hand you a buzzer (pictured at the beginning of this post) and when its ready the device lets you know to pick it up. I went with the goat and potato Roti with a side of coleslaw.

The Roti cost $16.45 BBD or $8.22 USD and came to around $11 USD with the coleslaw. You could taste the difference between Chefette's take on the Roti and Chutney's versions. The Roti bread had a different texture (I think the Chefette Roti spends some time in a warmer or microwave), the curry was more pronounced and the potatoes were a little less starchy. The goat was very tender and was boneless which made devouring this Roti a simple task. I am a fan of creamy coleslaw over the vinegar type, Chutney's coleslaw was very creamy and fresh. All and all a good meal for a very reasonable price.

I was super lucky to stumble upon Kumarie's Roti Shop. We took the bus into Bridgetown and were walking from the bus terminal towards downtown and happened to stop into the Bridge Street Mall (on the corner of St Michael Row & Marhill St.) to take a look around. A yummy smell filled the corridors of the mall and our noses lead us to the small food court. Kamarie's shared a small store with a Chinese restaurant. The young lady working the front counter was very friendly and polite, by far the best staff member we encountered during our Roti hunt. The place was busy with locals which is always a promising sign that you are about to be in for a treat.

I decided to go with the goat Roti for $13 BBD or $6.50 USD. I watched them make the Roti in front of me. This was by far the best Roti I had in Barbados. The meat was so tender and flavourful. The only thing you had to be careful of was the bones mixed in with the Roti filling. I didn't mind as they were probably the contributing factor to all the flavour.

Have you ever been to Barbados and had a great Roti? Please let everyone know where in the comments below. Happy Roti hunting.

]]>Thu, 29 Jun 2017 20:51:32 GMThttp://www.jayeatz.com/blog/so-i-got-invited-to-contribute-to-eat-this-towns-iconic-foods-of-canada-ontario-edition A fellow Canadian blogger, Lindsay Nelson (her blog is called Eat This Town) asked me to contribute to a series she is creating about the iconic foods of each province in Canada in honour of Canada's 150th birthday. I was asked to write a piece about one iconic food from Ontario. Ontario is such a melting pot of cultures with such an eclectic array of culinary options that it took a moment for my mind to focus on a food that was truly unique to the province. The first thing that popped into my head was BeaverTails. This culinary delight was born in Ottawa and rightfully calls Ontario its birthplace. Check out the following link (or click on the photo below) to read the rest of the story and check out Eat This Town to see the rest of the series highlighting each provinces iconic foods. Happy Canada's Day too eh.

I don't usually write blog posts about chain restaurants, usually I will save Zomato for my thoughts on a visit to lets say Kelsey's or Montana's. When I visited Chuck's Roadhouse I discovered they were doing something totally different than the other guys, selling good food at good prices. I almost want to use the word 'cheap' but the taste of what they serve is far from cheap. Chuck's really has something good going on and I like it.

You can get a burger and fries for $5 or you could upgrade to a triple decker for only $11.89. The steaks have incredible prices too. A 7 oz top sirloin will run you $10 or if you are feeling hungry they have a 16 oz AAA bone-in Rib-eye steak for $19.99. The ribs are also priced incredibly well with a full rack of baby back ribs at $16.99. You can check out Chuck's full menu here: chucksroadhouse.com/menu/. They do have a goofy tax they call "The Honest to Goodness Fee". It will add an extra 3% to your bill but if that's the price of reasonably priced food so be it.

During my visit I ordered the 9 oz boneless Rib-eye steak, rare, with a side of fries. It was a decent sized portion and was cooked just the way I ordered it. Excellent for a steak with a $12.99 price tag. We also happened to visit on a Tuesday so you will see a gigantic beer in this photo, 32 oz domestic stein for $5, #YES.

The G.F. ordered the bacon cheese burger with fries. It was topped with fresh lettuce, tomato and onion, also a good portion for $8.89. She said it was a solid burger.

I had a little room left for dessert so I decided to give Chuck's one and only dessert item a try. The "Funnel of Love" is what they call it, funnel fries topped with icing sugar, strawberries, whipped cream, ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. I can see why they only have one dessert because you would be hard pressed to choose something different.

I would definitely recommend trying out Chuck's Roadhouse next time you're going out to eat. Good service, good food and great prices that truly are hard to beat.

Last June I had the pleasure of attending Farm & Food Care Canada's Breakfast on the Farm event in my hometown of Woodstock Ontario. The event took place at Veldale Farms, a dairy farm, which was quit fitting for the host city which also happens to be the Dairy Capital of Canada. The first 2000 people that RSVP'd to the event received a free breakfast, and 2000 people went.

Everything was delicious. I can't even begin to imagine making pancakes for 2000 people. Hats off to all the volunteers that cooked and served all the food.

After breakfast you could tour Veldale Farm's dairy operation. This was the highlight of the day for me. The volunteer tour guides around the farm all had a background in agriculture and were willing to answer your questions as you toured the farm. It was amazing to see so many people passionate about agriculture. Events like this are such an amazing tool to help people know where their food comes from. You might watch a documentary about food which may influence your perception about farming and agriculture but to touch, see and feel what a real farm is like truly paints the real picture about agriculture. It was amazing (and hilarious) to hear from some of the tour guides some of the questions they were asked about farming. It really illustrates the disconnect some of the city folk from had with agriculture and knowing where their food comes from. It is almost ironic that there is such disconnect between the city and the country given the close proximity of the two. You can see Woodstock from Veldale Farms and you can see the farm from the 401 and Woodstock, so close to each other yet so far away.

This year's Breakfast on the Farm will be held at Donkers Family Farm near Shedden Ontario on June 24th, 2017 from 9 am to 1 pm. Ed Donkers runs a goat farm and milks 900 goats for the production of specialty cheese. This event provides a unique opportunity for farmers and non-farming Ontarians to have a conversation about food and farming, plus the FREE breakfast will be sure to impress. To register for your free tickets please visit the following link: www.farmfoodcareon.org/breakfast-on-the-farm/

]]>Tue, 10 Jan 2017 22:10:59 GMThttp://www.jayeatz.com/blog/so-youre-looking-for-a-free-breakfast-meal-on-your-birthday-in-strathroy That's right I said "Free". If you find yourself in the metropolis of Strathroy, Ontario and it happens to be your birthday you can score a free breakfast like Jay Eatz did. Just head to Roy's Coffee Shop and make sure you have some I.D. on you.

Roy's Coffee Shop is located on 273 Caradoc S. St. in Strathroy. I have driven by this place many times on my way to pick up things from Staples or Canadian Tire for work. It's conveniently located on one of the main arteries in town close to the major business area. On one of these trips by Roy's the outside sign read "Free Birthday Breakfast". I took a mental note of this and vowed to return on my birthday to collect my gift.

The big day had come and I headed to work early that day to start the day off right with the most important meal of the day. Roy's has that old school diner vibe. It's very busy in the morning filled with older men catching up on the daily news and meeting up with others to share the town gossip. Walking in you get the impression that this place is a social institution of the town but yet you still feel welcome as an outsider.

I sat at the bar as I was enjoying my birthday breakfast solo. The waitress came to take my order and I said it was my birthday. She let me know that you get the two eggs breakfast with your choice of bacon ham or sausage, home fries and toast. I ordered mine with scrambled eggs and bacon. I got a coffee to start while I waited for my food. Roy's makes and excellent cup of Joe.

I didn't even require my first refill on the coffee and the food was out. It was a generous sized meal and smelled delicious.

The bacon was nice and crispy and the home fries were amazing. I like them when they are cooked on a skillet or a fry pan, not a big fan of deep fried home fries. I had refill on the coffee and then went to settle the tab. I was expecting to pay for the coffee and to my surprise that was free too.

Have you ever Googled a recipe for traditional scalloped potatoes? All this talk of making a roux, gradually adding milk to flour and butter, whisking constantly for 8 minutes? Jay Eatz says forget about it, scalloped potatoes don't have to be that hard. Don't get me wrong, the traditional way is far from the wrong way but there is a faster and easier way. This recipe should yield 4 to 6 servings and fill a 2 quart casserole dish.

Instructions:Peel and slice the onion into fine slices. Peel and wash the potatoes. Slice the potatoes into thin slices, about 1/8 of an inch. Try to slice potatoes evenly to ensure even cooking time.

Place sliced potatoes in 2 quart casserole dish until you can not see the bottom of the dish. Then add a layer of onions and season with salt and pepper. Repeat this step until the dish is almost full. Be sure to leave about a 1/2 inch of space between the potatoes and the lip of the casserole dish, this will prevent the mixture from boiling over causing a mess in the oven.

Mix the cream of mushroom soup with the cream in a bowl and pour into the casserole dish.

Bake covered in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees for about an hour. Uncover and continue to bake for another half hour or until the potatoes are tender. Pierce the potatoes with a fork to determine if the potatoes are done, if not continue to bake until tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly, serve and enjoy.

I paired these scalloped potatoes with a Schneiders Olde Fashioned ham. Nothing goes better with scalloped potatoes than ham. If you like a cheesy scalloped potato just add shredded cheese to the top of the scalloped potatoes the last 10 minutes of cooking time. I hope you enjoy these Easy Scalloped Potatoes.

You have probably been to a wine tasting but have you ever been to a beef tasting? Well Jay Eatz had the pleasure of attending Canadian Beef's Taste & Terroir event earlier this fall at the Canadian Food & Wine Institute at Niagara College. The campus and facilities were the ideal setting for this day's events which would showcase some delicious Canadian Beef paired with some wines from the Niagara Region. The only thing that trumped the setting was our hosts, two phenomenal chef's, Chef Marty Carpenter, Director of the Canadian Beef Centre of Excellence and Chef Michael Olson, Chef Professor at the Canadian Food & Wine Institute Niagara College, and one amazing Home Economist, Joyce Parslow, Canadian Beef's Director of Consumer Relations.

This purpose of this event was to illustrate the parallels of wine and beef in relation to the concept of "terroir". What is "terroir" you ask? Terroir is a French word which means land in its simplest translation. It is a term closely tied to viticulture (particularly old world wines) referring to the earth and soil in which grapes are grown. I was fortunate enough to take a course on the history of wine at university (best class ever) which really made it easy to see how the concept of "terroir" relates to Canadian Beef. Our text book for this class was called The Essentials of Wine with Food Pairing Techniques by John P. Lagones. Lagones said "grapes grown further from the equator are the most fragrant and are incredibly food friendly because of their acidity and freshness". The same holds true for Canadian Beef. Canada's geographical location has blessed us with grain growing capabilities. This is prime feed for cattle. Our cold winters make for hardy beef breed stock resulting in Canadian Beef genetics being exported to 100 countries worldwide. Just as the VQA regulatory and appellation system guarantees the high quality and authenticity of Canadian wines so does the Canadian Beef brand which stands for beef that's raised in Canada. The beef grading system is a quality guide for Canadian Beef with Prime being the highest quality beef followed by AAA, AA and A grades. As is the wine grower and the wine maker to wine is the farmer and the butcher to Canadian Beef.

To truly understand the parallels between beef and wine in relationship to "terroir" a tasting of both would be necessary.

Before we dived into these five different cuts of Canadian Beef, Joyce walked us through a quick sensory activity to prepare our tasting abilities. We were given bread and gummy bears to calibrate our tenderness scale and a piece of banana, cucumber and orange to calibrate our perception of juiciness.

After our sensory preparation we were set loose to sample the five different cuts of beef paired with a different red wine. We sampled Canadian Beef tenderloin with Fielding Estate Winery 2013 Cabernet Franc, Canadian Beef sirloin with Creekside Estate Winery 2013 Iconoclast Syrah, Canadian Beef strip loin with Rockway Vineyards 2012 Small Lot Wild Ferment Red, Canadian Beef rib eye with Redstone Winery 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon and Canadian Beef short rib with Foreign Affair Winery 2013 Dream. We recorded our visual impressions of the Canadian Beef, judged each cuts tenderness, juiciness, flavour and aroma. One underlying principal was observed just as in wine tasting: Who decides what makes the best beef cut or glass of wine? It all depends on you and what you prefer, don't be afraid to like what you like. My favourites were the rib eye and the short rib as both rated very high for me on the flavour scale.

Some pro wine pairing tips were shared as well.

Pair leaner beef with lighter bodied wines

Pair fattier & more flavourful cuts with more full bodied and flavourful wine

Pair fattier cuts of beef with a well-aged wine

Pair rare lean beef with a young aggressive wine

I captured a video of some of Chef Olson's thought on this:

I must add a disclaimer to this post, on top of the delicious Canadian Beef and wine I was compensated to attend this event with the best lunch I have ever had.

I will let you in on a little secret, you can find the recipe for the beef dish we had at lunch on the Roundup App in the recipe section titled Southwestern Beef Steak with Succotash Saute. You can also download a copy of the Beef and Wine Tasting guideline we used by clicking on the guide below.

I know you probably won't be cooking up five different kinds of Canadian Beef at home to replicate the Taste & Terroir event. I would recommend printing off a few of these sheets and as you taste different cuts of Canadian Beef over the next little while, try this activity, pair your Canadian Beef with some wines from your neck of the woods and compare your notes after you have sampled a few different cuts and taste the Canadian terroir found in Canadian Beef for yourself.

You have probably seen corned beef brisket at the grocery store hanging out with the hams in the meat cooler. You probably also walked right on by the brisket too, unaware of how delicious it taste and how easy it is to make. So easy to make that Jay Eatz almost guarantees you can't screw this one up.

One of the great things about corned beef brisket is that it is already seasoned for you. You literally need to open the package, place the brisket in a pot with a lid and fill the pot with water just until the roast is covered.

Now bring the pot to a boil, then cover and turn down to a simmer. Continue simmering for 2-3 hours (the bigger the roast, the longer it will need to boil). Remove the roast from the pot and let cool slightly.

Once the roast is cool enough to handle slice into medium to thin slices. Sometimes there might be a layer of fat on one side of the brisket. Remove any excess fat before slicing.

As promised fool proof roast. The only way I could seeing this going south is if you fell asleep and forgot about the brisket and let the pot boil dry. You can serve corned beef brisket with some sides like potato and corn or enjoy it straight up with some mustard on a bun.

So if cooking roast gives you anxiety or hasn't gone the best for you in the past give corned beef brisket a try, it won't disappoint the chef nor those eating it.

]]>Thu, 11 Aug 2016 23:56:59 GMThttp://www.jayeatz.com/blog/so-youre-in-paisley-and-youre-hungry Paisley? Where is Paisley? Well Paisley is a village in Ontario. It is kind of near Walkerton and Owen Sound or near the Bruce nuclear plant. It is also on the Saugeen River and is a canoer's paradise. Maybe you are just passing through or maybe you are checking out a cultural event like Paisley Beef Fest like Jay Eatz. If it happens to be between May and October you need to make a stop at Gibby's Grub.

Gibby's Grub is located on Bruce Rd 3 just as you enter the village of Paisley.

There is usually a line up as Gibby's is busy. You can always call your order in ahead at 519-353-4044. I pulled up on my way out of town and didn't have to wait long for my order. There is ample seating with 2 gazebos with picnic tables offering shade and some picnic tables in the open for those that prefer the sun.

Gibby's offers an assortment of fried food, the typical dishes you would expect from a chip wagon road side stop. ​

I went with the one and only Gibby Burger. I have been coming to Gibby's for 9 years and this burger is my go to. Double meat, double cheese and double bacon, yes please.

This burger delivers everything the menu promises. The patties are crisp on the outside and juicy in the middle. The cheese blankets the crispy patty and creates an amazing flavour with each bite, plus bacon, need I say more.

The Gibby Burger pairs well with the onion rings but is also very satisfying on its own. Next time you're in Paisley and you're hungry give Gibby's Grub a try.

You may have heard about chicken wings or pork back ribs but what about chicken back ribs? Maple Lodge Farms has created this amazing chicken wing alternative. They have called them "Seasoned, Skinless Chicken Back & Ribs" but Jay Eatz is going to shorten it to chicken ribs. I have tried these a few times and would put them right on par with chicken wings. I like the white meat and the flavour that the rib bones infuse into the meat. One thing chicken ribs have over chicken wings is the price, I paid $2.09/lb (compare wings at $4.99/lb). They are also very BBQ friendly and easy to make. I preheated the BBQ to medium. Then placed the chicken ribs rib side down on the grill.

I cooked them for about 25 minutes in total. I flipped them about 15 minutes in to the cooking time.

Then I applied a few coats of BBQ sauce to the chicken ribs and they were done.

These Maple Lodge Chicken ribs are great as an appetizer or as an entree. I served them with a side of my "Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes".

Next time you are in the grocery store and see these, pick them up and give them a try. They will surely not disappoint and who knows you might give up chicken wings for good.